Troubled
by BoscosBabe
Summary: Vanni Boscorelli is a young woman who has a lot on her mind. Ty, along with her cousin Bosco work their best to help her troubled mind. (Chapter 8 up!!!)
1. Cry For Help

Title: Troubled   
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence, language, and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K? This story is based on the character I play in the RPG.  
  
  
Chapter 1:   
  
  
Vanni Boscorelli roamed the sidewalk at 9pm in New York City. She was on a mission. She shuffled along the cold gray surface with anticipation and fear. Finally, she was there. The 55th precinct. She sighed and slowly walked through the door. A few police officers glanced curiously at her, but kept walking. She ran her fingers through her long auburn hair and went to the desk. Adjusting her short brown leather skirt, she asked where she could find Officer Boscorelli. She was told to wait and she sat down on a bench across from the desk. About ten minutes later, a loud-mouthed Bosco came through the front door with Faith in tow. He was talking about some druggie he had busted earlier in the day. Vanni sat up and looked straight at him.  
  
He caught her eye, stopped talking, and realized the blue eyes he was looking at were identical to his. Cocking his head, he went up to her and asked, "Is that you Vanni?"   
She stood up and nodded.  
Her smile slowly faded as he pushed her hair aside and examined the large bruise formation on the right side of her face.  
  
"What the fuck did he do to you this time, Vanni?" She looked at her hands. "That's what I wanted to tell you. He shot mom."   
  
Bosco looked at her in disbelief. "He did what?"  
  
Vanni's eyes began to tear. "Right in front of me, Maurice. I'm bruised because I tried to stop him, and failed."   
  
She burst out the tears she had been holding back and Bosco ran his hand over his face. He put his arm around her, allowing her to sob into his shoulder.   
Officer Davis entered on the other side of the station with Officer Sullivan at his side. "Hey, look at that chick. Bosco probably forgot to call her."   
  
Sully chuckled lightly, but stopped when they saw Bosco pull away from her with a furious look on his face.  
  
"Or not..." Ty continued from his last remark.   
  
Bosco looked at Vanni with disappointment obvious in his eyes.   
  
"I'm gonna find him Van, don't worry. I'm gonna protect you."   
  
Vanni stopped crying and spoke again, "Maurice, I don't know where to go. I was staying in mom and dad's apartment but I..."   
Ty, who was coming up to the two of them, interrupted her. "Hey Bos...Lieu says you need to finish that report before the day is over, which is in, like, 30 minutes,"   
Ty paused, looking at Vanni, "So, who's this?" Bosco looked at him, a flash of annoyance went across his face, and then he answered Ty's question.   
  
"This is my cousin Vanni," Bosco said, putting an emphasis on "cousin". Ty didn't seem fazed and continued, "Hey..um...I don't mean to be nosy, but I heard you need a place to stay...and I know that Bosco's place is kinda small..." Ty stopped when he noticed Bosco giving him a look with his arms crossed. "Hey Ty...she can stay with me, ok? I'll make room."  
  
Vanni sniffed and put her two cents in. "Um, Maurice, if you don't have any room, it's really ok. I mean, I don't know if I feel comfortable staying with you anyway. If dad comes back to find me, your apartment is the first place he'll check. I witnessed a murder Eece."  
  
Bosco sighed and looked at her, pondering what to do. "Hey Bos...really, it's no problem. She could stay with me. Carlos won't mind and our place is much bigger than yours...that is, if you want to."   
  
Ty was now facing Vanni. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and nodded yes. "Thank you," she said, her voice almost a whisper. Ty smiled, "Oh! Sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Ty Davis." Vanni shook is hand sullenly. "Hey, I guess it's alright. As usual, Van, you're probably right. The shift is over in twenty minutes. Can you hang out here for a little bit?" Vanni nodded and went to sit back on the bench. 


	2. Seeking Shelter

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K?  
  
  
Bosco, Faith, and Ty came back when they said they would. They found Vanni staring at a spot on the ground with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as her hair fell over her eyes. A soft humming noise came from her lips as Faith looked at Ty. Ty looked at Bosco, who had his eyes fixed on Vanni, knowing exactly what was running through her mind. He hated seeing her like this and it wasn't the first time he had, either.   
His dad, her dad, both abusive. Those Boscorelli men, he though to himself. He was always the one taking care of Vanni. It was hard for her, being the only girl in the whole family. Like Bosco, though, she never got help.  
  
"Vanni, you ready," Bosco asked, snapping Vanni back to reality.   
  
She wiped her red eyes and gathered the bag she had been carrying with her.  
  
She crossed her arms as they walked out of the station and down the sidewalk. It was cold, colder than she had remembered it was. They stopped at Bosco's car.  
  
"Van...I'll come see you tomorrow, ok? I'm driving Faith home, so you'll walk with Ty, alright?"  
  
She just nodded and Bosco let go of the door handle he had just opened.   
  
He gave her a hug and spoke again, "You're going to be fine. I promise."   
  
He gave her a kiss on her forehead and got into his car. Vanni stared at the blue Mustang until it disappeared.   
  
Ty took a step towards her, using a low voice as not to scare her. "Hey...you ready to go now?"   
  
Finally, she turned around and shook her head. They walked side by side for about ten minutes when Ty broke the silence.   
  
"So...you from here?"   
  
She looked at the tall man nest to her and noticed his soft features.   
  
"Yes. The whole family lived across the street from each other."   
  
"He seems to care about you a whole lot."   
  
"Well," Vanni began, not sure if she wanted to give him the whole story just yet, "he was always there for me. I was the only girl out of my five other siblings. He looked out for me. He was the only one who gave a damn. When all this shit happened, I immediately came to him..."   
  
Ty nodded, not knowing what to say to her. This beautiful young lady shouldn't be going through this, he thought.   
  
"Well, we're here," Ty stated, avoiding the subject of her past for now.  
  
They walked inside the building and up to Ty's apartment. He let her in first, then closed the door behind him.   
  
"Can I take your coat?" he asked her.   
  
"Uh...yes, thank you."   
  
He returned to find her in the same spot as he had left her. She was staring out the window.   
  
"Vanni?"   
  
She jumped and looked at him.   
  
"Are you hungry?"   
  
She shook her head no. She couldn't eat now, after what she had seen.   
  
"Ok...well...I'm going to." She followed him slowly into the kitchen.   
  
"You can sit down." She silently sat down on one of the chairs and stared at the floor.   
Ty stared at her for a good couple of minutes before taking his frozen dinner out of the microwave. He sat back down, removing the hot plastic off of the tray of food. God...she must have so much going on in her head right now, he thought. Ty started to eat, looking up at her every once in a while. She was playing with the end of her sleeve and biting her lip. When he was done, he put everything into the sink. When he turned back around, she was looking at him.   
Her lip started to tremble and tears were building up at the bottoms of her eyes. He went over and pulled her up from the chair into a hug. She started to cry harder as she buried her face into his shoulder. Ty held her tighter when he felt her start to shake. He pulled away and looked at her, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.   
  
"Do you want to take a shower?" he asked her softly.   
  
She nodded yes and he led her to the bathroom. He left momentarily and came back with towels.   
  
"Thanks you," Vanni managed to get out of her mouth as she closed the bathroom door.   
Ty went to the couch and tiredly plopped down on it with a sigh. He turned the TV on and twenty minutes later, Vanni came out of the bathroom in the pajamas she had packed, hair still wet. Ty turned the TV odd and walked over to her.   
  
"Need anything?"   
Not making eye contact, she responded. "I..I w-want..."   
  
She burst out crying before she could finish and Ty wrapped his arms around her again, letting her cry into his chest. He gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. She grabbed on to him tighter, seeking shelter from her thoughts. After she settled down a bit, she pulled away and looked up at the tall man in front of her. He still had a hand on her waist as she started to speak.  
  
"Can I go to sleep now?" Ty nodded and led her to the couch.   
  
He unfolded it out into a bed and straightened the blankets that were already covering it for unexpected company. He went to the linen closet and took out a pillow for her.   
  
"Thank you for letting me stay here Ty."   
  
He put the pillow and looked at her. "No problem." He gave a small smile.   
"Call me if you need me, alright?" Vanni nodded and got into the warm bed. 


	3. Childhood Memories

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K?  
  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
  
That night, Vanni didn't sleep well. At about two in the morning, Ty woke up to Vanni talking in her sleep. He got out of bed and walked into the living room.   
  
"Daddy... Please...n-no...s-s-stop hurting.....Don't...NOO!!"   
  
She was tossing in the sheets and her hand flailed at the air. Ty went over to her quickly and ran his hand through her hair while placing his other one on her shoulder.   
  
"Vanni?"   
  
She jumped, startled by the body next to her and started punching and kicking at him.   
  
"Get away! Get away from me! Don't touch me dad, please!!"   
  
"Vanni, it's me, Ty. Vanni? Wake up..."   
  
Vanni opened her eyes and blinked, trying to bring her view into focus. She made out Ty's figure sitting next to her and immediately threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"I c-can't s-sleep Ty. H-he's going to find me and kill me...and Maurice too."   
  
"Shh.." Ty silenced her and held her to his chest. She was still crying, but after about five minutes, Ty heard her stop. She had fallen asleep in his arms. He resituated her so she was lying on her side. Not wanting to leave her, he laid down, facing her.   
  
Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he whispered, "It's going to be ok Vanni, I promise."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Vanni woke up first at 2pm. Her breath caught in her throat noticing someone in bed with her. Realizing it was Ty; she slowly let a curious smile play on her lips. She ran a hand over the top of his head, amused by how it felt with no hair. His eyes fluttered open and Vanni pulled her hand away quickly. Shock registered on her face as he smirked.   
  
"Having fun?" he asked her.   
  
She nervously looked around as he chuckled and rose out of the bed. Vanni couldn't help staring at his bare, toned chest and abs, wondering if this was the same Ty who had comforted her last night. She yawned, stretched, and got up. Adjusting her low-riding pajama pants, she shuffled into the kitchen where Ty was sitting, already dressed. He was having breakfast and a cup of coffee was waiting for her on the other side of the table.   
  
"So...you seem to be in better spirits today."   
  
His eyes followed her as she walked to her chair and sat down.   
  
"Eh..I guess. Everything blows over at some point or another. It always has."   
  
Ty looked at her, mouth open, about to say something. She looked up at him from her sip of coffee.   
  
"Vanni, I have to go to work now," she interrupted him.   
  
"That would be the reason for the uniform, right?"   
  
He looked down at his shirt and smiled.   
  
"Yeah...I guess so. Well, anyway...We all call in for dinner around six. You want to meet us there?" Vanni thought for a moment and then gave him an answer.   
  
"Yeah, sure. I'll be there."   
  
Ty looked at his watch, looked at Vanni, and winked.   
  
"See ya." She waved while taking the last sip out of her mug.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After he was gone, she slipped her Goo Goo Dolls CD into his CD player and turned it on full blast. As she danced around the apartment, she started to get dressed, putting on a pair of black leather pants. Mid-way through the first song, she heard a knock on the door. Forgetting that she didn't put her shirt on, she unlocked the door and opened it, to reveal Bosco.   
  
"Vanni???"   
  
She quickly shut the door in his face and put on the black halter that was laid out on the bed. She ran back to the door and let Bosco in, giving him a hug and a kiss. He was laughing lightly and shaking his head.   
  
"Hey Eece...what's up?"   
  
"Ya think that music is loud enough Van? If there was a burglar in here, you would never know it."   
  
She just rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom, turning the CD off on her way there.   
  
"Happy mommy?" she yelled out to Bosco, who was walking over to the bathroom.   
  
He looked down at his shoes, chuckling. "So, what are you doing now?" he asked her as she put her foundation on.   
  
"I should be the one asking that. You're going to be late for work."  
  
"Oh well, I'm always late. Where you going?"   
  
"Ugh, Maurice, do I really have to tell you?"   
  
He gave her the scary glare that ran in their family. For a second she saw her father and had to look away.   
  
"Uh..Ty invited me to meet you guys for dinner later on."   
  
"You want me to come pick you up?"   
  
"OK...fine. I don't feel comfortable walking around that late anyway."   
  
"See ya later," he said as he walked over and gave her a kiss.  
  
"Bye Eecy."   
  
After he left, Vanni turned her music back on and finished doing her makeup.   
  
'Pain in the ass,' she thought to herself, 'he always has to act like he so much older than I am.'   
  
She smiled, though, because he had taught her so much. He had taught her how to care. He had faith in her. He was always the one who did and she felt like she never gave anything back to him. 'I guess me being here is enough of a payment for now,' Vanni said to herself. 


	4. Just Run Away

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K?  
  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
  
At about ten to six, she heard a knock at her door. Knowing it was Bosco; she put her coat on, grabbed her bag, and opened the door. There stood two police officers. One was her Maurice, and the other looked familiar but she couldn't remember her name.   
  
"Hey Eece," she smiled at the both of them.   
  
"Vanni, I don't know if you remember from that night at the station. This is my partner, Faith Yokas."   
  
"Oh, hi Faith."   
  
"Hey Vanni, how are ya?"   
  
"I'm doing better, thanks."   
  
"OK ladies, you can chit chat at the diner. Come on, let's go."   
  
When they got to Haggerty's, everyone was there already. Vanni walked down to Ty, following Bosco. She sat at the empty seat next to him.   
  
"Hey Ty." Ty looked at her  
  
"Heeeyy...wow. You look good." Vanni blushed and noticed that everyone was looking at her. Bosco saw her blushing and putting her head down and decided to introduce her to the group.   
  
"Everyone, this is my cousin Vanni."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Later that night, Vanni was watching TV. Ty walked through the door at about 11:00. He startled her, and she fell off the couch in surprise. He was laughing at her as she was trying to get up. Her cheeks were red and there was a small smile on her face.   
  
"Shit, Ty, you scared me! I didn't think it was that late."   
  
He just continued to laugh and walked over to help her up. He held on to her shoulders to try to stop him from falling on the floor. He finally calmed down and they looked at each other. They were mere inches apart when Vanni broke the silence.  
  
"Uh...Ty...I really appreciate everything you..."   
  
He put a finger to her lips and leaned in to kiss her. Vanni's guard immediately went up and her heart started to race as she pulled away after a few seconds.   
  
"Ah...I..sorry Ty. I can't"   
  
He put his head down and nodded. He didn't want to scare her away so soon. She was fragile and he had to treat her that way.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The next morning, Vanni woke up. Her head was resting on Ty's shoulder. Ty was sleeping; his head propped up on his arm. The TV was still on, but there was snow on the screen. She noticed the VCR was still on and realized that they fell asleep while watching a movie. She ejected the movie and looked at the clock. She gasped and shook Ty.   
  
"Ty!! Ty!! Wake up! It's 2:30."   
  
He woke up and looked around. He too noticed the clock and ran to his room to change.   
'Didn't think we stayed up THAT late,' Vanni thought to herself.  
  
After a couple of minutes, Ty returned in his uniform. He grabbed his bag, gave Vanni a hug, and left. She sat around for a while, but got bored. She pulled on a pair of jeans and put on a long sleeved navy blue shirt. Grabbing her jacket, she left the apartment, locking it. She walked down the sidewalk, not knowing where she was going. Finally, she ended up in a nearby park, and sat down on a bench. She looked around at New York. She grew up here, yet she had failed to really the city for what it was. She was raised fearing to leave the house, so she always imagined New York City to look gloomy and dark all the time. A tear ran down her cheek as she recalled the memories that she wanted to forget the most. She breathed in, tears starting to form in her eyes.  
  
'Why am I doing this to him? He shouldn't have to deal with my problems. This wasn't fair,' Vanni thought, 'Ty doesn't deserve this.' She vowed to herself that after getting her backpack she wouldn't go back to his apartment.   
  
It was after twelve and Vanni was no where in sight. Ty had just gotten home and he was worried because she never left the apartment and surely wouldn't leave without leaving him a note. He tried to calm his nerves by convincing himself that she had gotten up the courage to go out by herself. She wasn't a baby...she could handle herself. By 1:00, though, he was afraid. He picked up the phone and dialed Bosco's number.   
  
"Hey Bos...it's Ty. Is Vanni there at all?"   
  
"No...I haven't talked to her since yesterday. What's wrong?"   
  
"Well Bos...she's not here. She hasn't come home yet. I have no clue where she could be. I'm worried..."  
Bosco pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, hearing Ty getting choked up.   
"Hey..Ty, don't worry. She'll be back soon. She used to do this all the time when she was younger. She would get out of the house as soon as she could to get away from her father. If you don't see her by tomorrow, give me a call, ok?"  
  
"Ok Bos...thanks." Ty hung up the phone and went to bed. It was weird to not have Vanni around. He found himself missing her terribly.   
  
Vanni walked down the darkened streets once again, not knowing what to do with herself. As she was wandering, she didn't notice that she was walking right by the place se had been running from in the first place. Before she could take another step, a person came out from the shadows and took a metal pole to her legs. They gave out from under her and she fell on her back. Before having time to recover, she felt a second blow to her stomach, and a third. She grabbed her stomach in pain. The last thing she heard before everything went black was an evil laugh and footsteps travelling away from her. 


	5. Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K?  
  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
  
Her vision was blurry, she felt like she was seeing stars. It was dark and she was leaning against something hard. It felt like concrete, or...or...brick.   
  
'Where am I?' she thought.   
  
She tried to clear her vision by shaking her head, but pain shot through her body. Ten minutes later, she could see better. She looked at her hands and would have let out a scream, but she couldn't find her voice. They were covered in blood, her shirt was covered in blood, her eye was swollen and it hurt to breathe.   
  
'What's happening to me?' Matching tears on each side of her face cut through the dried blood.   
  
Faith and Bosco got into the RMP after roll call and drove off.   
  
"So Bos...how's that cousin of yours? Vanni's her name, right?"   
  
"Yeah. I guess she's fine. Ty said she didn't come home last night. I told him to call me if she didn't show up later on and I never heard from him. I guess everything's alright then."   
  
Faith shrugged and they continued driving.  
  
"Bos?"   
"Yeah...what?"  
  
"Back the car up a little. Down that alley...look."   
  
Bosco squinted and saw what looked to be a female curled up against the wall of one of the buildings. They both got out of the car and stood next to each other at the mouth of the darkened alleyway. Bosco and Faith exchanged worried looks as Bosco went first. As he got closer and closer, his heart sped up. His stomach dropped as who it was became evident. "Oh God...Vanni!!!"  
  
  
  
  
TBC....sorry for the short chapter.The next one will be longer. Keep reviewing please!!!! 


	6. Lies, Blood, and Forgiveness

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K? Oh...and I am in no way a paramedic, so my medical terms are all wrong...don't hurt me! Lol  
  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
  
  
Doc and Carlos rushed to the alleyway and met Bosco and Faith. Faith was standing over Vanni while Bosco paced and cursed to himself. Just then, Ty and Sully pulled up to the scene. Doc and Carlos put Vanni on the gurney and rolled it to the ambulance. Ty caught sight of the victim and realized it was Vanni. He ran to Doc.   
  
"Oh my God, what happened???"   
  
Ty was staring at Doc, waiting for an answer. Doc came out from working on her and went to Ty.   
"She has sever lacerations on both arms, bot legs, and the left side of her face. She also has major bruising all over her body and suffered several blows to the abdomen."   
  
Ty looked at Doc and then to Vanni, who was in the ambulance, unconscious and had tubes coming out of every area. Doc closed the back doors, got into the driver's seat, and drove off to the hospital. Ty ran to the RMP.   
  
"Sully, come on, let's go." Sully started up the car and followed 55-David; who was following the ambulance.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Vanni Boscorelli. Assault victim. Age 27. Suffered many blows to the abdomen and there's bruising all over. She may be bleeding internally."   
  
Doc read off the rest of her vitals and let the doctors take it from there. Bosco stormed into the emergency room with Faith trying to catch up. He had a worried look on his face that was meshed with anger and hate. He spotted Doc and went to him.   
  
"Where did they take her? Where is she??"   
  
Doc tried to calm Bosco down.   
  
"Bosco...they're working on her right now. She's going to be fine. I think you just need to sit down."   
  
Doc started to move Bosco to where Ty and Sully were now sitting. Bosco pushed past Doc and started to walk down the hallway that they had brought Vanni down moments before.   
  
"Bosco!" Faith called after him. She ran to where he was and stood in his path.   
  
"Listen to me," Bosco was intent on getting to Vanni and looked past Faith, "Dammit Bosco! Look at me! She's going to be fine. They'll let us know what's going on soon. Come on."   
  
Realizing he wasn't going to win this battle, he headed back towards the waiting room.   
  
Ty was tapping his foot and biting his nails. He stared out the door of the waiting hoping that the doctor would walk through any second. The door opened, causing him to jump, but when he saw it was just Bosco and Faith, he went back to his nervous behaviors. Sully came walking through the door followed by Carlos. They were both carrying coffees for everyone there and handed them out. Ty refused his and Sully took a seat next to him.   
  
"Hey..." he got no response and tried again.   
"Ty? Come on. She's going to be fine. What's wrong?"   
  
Ty came out of his trance and looked at Sully.   
  
"I'm fine...just...just worried about her. It's all my fault. I came home and she wasn't there and I did nothing. I can't believe I let this happen. I was supposed to be watching out for her. Bosco's gonna kill me."   
  
Sully gave a glance towards Bosco, who was standing at the window of the waiting room staring at nothing.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
About two hours later, the doctor came in. Bosco stood up and ran to him.   
  
"How is she? Please tell me she's ok."   
  
"Officer... I'm pleased to say her injuries weren't as severe as they were predicted to be. She made it through surgery and is in recovery now"  
  
"Can I go see her?"  
  
"Only family right now officer."   
  
Bosco had disgust written all over his face. "Look at the nametag ya jagoff! I'm her Goddamn cousin."   
  
He pushed past the doctor and found out what room Vanni was in at the front desk.   
  
He entered the room and almost had to leave because he couldn't stand seeing his baby cousin like this. He sat down in the chair next to the hospital bed and grabbed her hand.   
  
"Where do I start Van? Look what I did...I lied to you. I told you everything was going to be all right and now look what happened. I'm sorry Van. I let you down..."   
  
Vanni opened her eyes and saw Bosco sitting by her side, with his head down. She had heard the last sentence of his speech and squeezed his hand. He looked up at her and waited a moment. She took the oxygen mask away from her face and said what her voice would allow her to.   
  
"You're such a moron Maurice." She replaced the mask and chuckled softly at the confused expression he now had on his face. 


	7. Reflection

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K?  
  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
  
Vanni awoke the next morning and looked around, through her good eye. She was sore all over and her head was pounding. She remembered the short conversation that Bosco and her had had last night. He kept apologizing to her and saying it was his fault. He had also asked her if she saw who attacked her. This she had answered with a "no". Looking to her right, she saw someone asleep in the chair next to the bed. At first she thought it was Bosco, but looking harder, she saw that it was Ty.   
  
'Oh great. I ran away to relieve him of my troubles and now here he is, waiting for me to wake up.' She sighed heavily. "What am I supposed to say to you?" This time, she was talking out loud.  
  
Ty opened his eyes at the sound of Vanni's voice. She gasped, hoping he didn't hear what she said. He moved the chair closer to her bed and smiled at her.   
  
"Hey Vanni...are you ok? I was so scared. How do you feel? I'm so sorry I didn't come looking for you." Vanni rolled her eyes and looked away from Ty.  
  
"I really wish everyone would stop apologizing for things they didn't do. It never does anyone any good. I didn't come back because I didn't want to. Me getting attacked was no one's fault except mine. I was the one who chose to wander the sidewalks of the city in the middle of the night." Vanni tried to hold back tears.  
  
No one understood her. She is the one that lied. She lied to Bosco...Maurice, the one person who had never lied to her. She told him that she just left for some fresh air and that she was planning on calling him and Ty right before she got attacked.   
  
Just then, she looked up from her hands to notice Bosco standing in the doorway of her room.   
  
"Vanni...you left on purpose?"   
  
She couldn't look at him, so she continued to play with her hands.   
  
"Vanni Graziella Boscorelli...you look at me right now and tell me that you didn't leave on purpose. After all that Ty has done for you! Van...if this was done to get my attention...you got it now. You happy?" Vanni still didn't look at him.   
  
"Maurice...please don't yell at me..." Bosco saw the scared look on her face and looked over at Ty. Ty decided that it was time for him to leave Bosco and Vanni to their "family talk" and grabbed his things.   
  
"See ya later Vanni...later Bos." Bosco nodded and sat down in the chair that Ty had just unoccupied. He took Vanni's hand as she started to cry.   
  
"M-Maurice...I left because I didn't want Ty to have to deal with my issues. I need to work this stuff out by myself one day." She looked at Bosco and behind the tears he saw fear.   
  
Just then, the nurse came into the room saying that Vanni would be able to come home the next day; they just wanted to keep her overnight for observation. The nurse told Bosco that he should let Vanni get some rest. He gave her a kiss and a last glance before he walked out the door. Vanni put her hand to her forehead and let out a little growl. She was thinking about everything that had happened in the past days. Pictures of her entering the precinct for the first time, opening the door without a shirt to find Bosco on the other side, and falling off the couch when Ty came home that night...they all flashed in her mind. She started to silently cry. She felt like that was all she'd been doing and wondered how there were any tears even left in her system. Finally, she drifted off into a restless sleep.  
  
The next morning, the nurse walked into the room just as Vanni was waking up. She put her breakfast on the tray and pushed it in front of Vanni. "Here you go sweetie."   
  
Vanni just pushed it away. She couldn't even think about eating right now with what was going on right now.   
  
"Ms. Boscorelli, if you eat your breakfast, the doctor will send you home."   
  
At the sound of home, Vanni immediately started gobbling up her breakfast, making the nurse laugh lightly. When she was done, the nurse removed the tray and left the room. She returned with a clipboard and handed it to Vanni.   
  
"Here, sign this and you can go home when you're ready. The doctor will just come in to double check you." Vanni signed the papers and the nurse left once more.   
  
Minutes later, the doctor came in to look her over.   
  
"Ok Ms. Boscorelli. The nurse will help you get dressed and get your stuff ready."   
  
"Thank you."   
  
"My pleasure." The doctor gave her a smile and left the room.  
  
The nurse helped Vanni to the exit of the hospital. "Is someone coming to get you?"   
  
"No...I live not too far from here. I'll walk."  
  
"Um, are you sure? You got beat up pretty badly."  
  
"No, really. I'm fine. I'll walk."  
  
"Ok then, I'll need you to sign these release forms that you refused assistance home, ok?"  
  
"Ok, fine." Vanni signed yet another couple of pieces of paper and started walking, very slowly, to Ty's apartment. She knew she should've gone to see Bosco first, but Ty's place was closer and she really didn't feel like listening to a lecture from him anyway.   
  
She finally reached Ty's place and opened the door with the key he had given her.   
  
Ty heard the rattling of his doorknob and grabbed his gun from his nightstand. He was just about to go to work and he was pissed off that someone would pick his apartment, of all places, to steal from today. When the door opened, Vanni screamed when she saw the gun aimed at her. She stood there, looking at Ty; Ty stood looking at her. He put the gun onto the kitchen table and ran over to her.   
  
"Vanni!" He gave her a hug, but pulled away when he heard her groan in pain. "I'm sorry."   
  
Vanni groggily responded with an, "it's okay."   
  
She was pale, half from being in the hospital, and half from the surprise of a gun being pointed at her.   
  
"Sorry about the gun. I had no clue you were coming home this early."  
  
"Bosco doesn't know either," Vanni stated plainly as she gingerly sat down on the couch.  
  
"You didn't see him first?"  
  
"Your place is closer Ty." Ty looked down, not knowing what to say. He knew Bosco would be pissed. He figured he would just tell him when he got to work.   
  
"I'll talk to you when I get home later, okay?" Vanni nodded and switched on the TV. Ty left and locked the door. She heaved a sigh and got bored of the TV almost immediately. She went into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She could see fine now, but the bruise on her eye was still there to remind her of what happened.   
  
Vanni went to the linen closet and pulled out a towel and got into the shower. Every part of her body ached, but the warm water beating down on her felt soothing. When she was done, she found a pair of Ty's sweatpants and put them on, adjusting the strings to make them tighter. She threw on his NYPD T-shirt on top and went back to the couch to watch TV. Before she knew it, she was asleep. 


	8. Nightmares Continue

Title: Troubled  
Author: BoscosBabe  
Rating: R- violence and minor sexual scenarios  
Disclaimer: I own Vanni...but no one else, K?  
Chapter 8  
  
He was running after her, the pounding of his feet on the floor of the hallway echoed in her head. Her heart rate sped up as she felt him grab her around the waist. He was much stronger than she was and she couldn't get out of his grip. He clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet as he brought her back to his apartment.   
  
'No one runs away from ME sweetie.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vanni's eyes shot open and she sat up. She tried to calm herself down. Why was she having dreams about him again? "Him" was Johnny.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
He had been her savior; he was also the reason why she lost touch with Bosco. He had kept her safe, though, and away from her father. The first two months with him were like Heaven on Earth for her. Then he became hooked on coke again. Her heaven became a dark hell after that.  
  
She had been living in his apartment for the time they were going out and one night, Johnny came home from his job, or so she thought. He was furious and grabbed Vanni off of the couch, throwing her against the wall. She tried not to cry, but the tears couldn't keep from flowing. They continued to leak from the corners of her closed eyes as his hand flew across her face. She would never be the same after that night. That night that Johnny beat and raped her so bad, leaving her close to death.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She started crying, sitting alone on the couch in Ty's apartment. She had no clue what time it was, but was pleasantly surprised when Ty came walking through the apartment door. He was immediately at her side.  
  
"What's wrong?" he whispered into her hair. He had his arms wrapped around her, but she just stayed silent and stiff. He pulled away, sensing her tense nature.  
  
"You want to talk about it?" he asked her, while pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.   
  
At first, all she did was stare at the floor, but she felt so safe in his presence that she decided to tell him the whole story. When she was done, she started crying again, collapsing into Ty's warm arms.   
  
"Don't worry...I will NEVER let anyone hurt you like that again. I'm here for you whenever you need me, no matter what."  
  
She cried for a little while longer and then pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. They stared at each other until they both leaned closer, their lips meeting. Ty could sense Vanni was hesitating and he reassuringly rubbed her back, which made her more calm. They continued kissing and for that moment, Vanni forgot about all her problems. Every single bad thing that had happened to her in her past was erased from her memory and replaced with images of Ty.   
  
They finally broke the kiss which had seemed to last a lifetime. Vanni rested her head against Ty's chest, falling into her first peaceful sleep in a long time. Ty kept his arms protectively around her as he fell asleep not long after she did.   
  
This was how life was supposed to be. 


End file.
